


in the rain

by paox



Series: useless saboace [4]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Modern AU, Oneshot, Reunions, bUT if im gonna use this site as an archive for my fics i might as well post this, gay shit, non-graphic injury, oh well, sighs............this is trash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-08
Updated: 2018-02-08
Packaged: 2019-03-15 14:17:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13615113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paox/pseuds/paox
Summary: Ace and Sabo separated a long, long time ago. Now, Sabo just happens to be back.





	in the rain

**Author's Note:**

> yoooo more useless saboace  
> enjoy this small drab  
> dabs

Ace approaches slowly, cautiously. The rain only stopped half an hour ago and the alleyway is dark and wet, and with every footstep, his feet slap in the puddles laced through the concrete. His heart is pounding hard. The figure slumped against the wall isn’t moving but even lying down, head against their chest, something about them seems dangerous.

A few feet away from the stranger, still ready to run, Ace crouches, trying to make out their face. He’s pretty sure it’s a guy, judging by his clothes and physique. He’s wearing a sweatshirt that must be soaking wet. He’s slumped, most likely unconscious, chin against his chest so Ace can’t see his face. Outside the alleyway, on the street, nothing is moving. The city is alive but Ace feels as though he’s being electrified. 

Slowly, carefully, Ace reaches across and shakes the guy’s shoulder. 

There’s a tense second of nothingness. For one moment, Ace thinks the guy is dead. Then, he groans softly, shifting a little, and Ace backs off  _ fast _ . The guy groans again, a hollow sound from the back of the throat, and raises his head a little, glassy eyes looking straight at Ace. 

Ace considers running, but then that stupid, stubborn, asshole part of him protests. He can’t run away from an enemy. He can’t turn his back on a fight. So he stays where he is, in a slight crouch, and meets the stranger’s eyes. This city is a dangerous place with dangerous people, but Ace is pretty sure that he himself can be considered one of them. 

The stranger then says, in a raspy voice, the one thing Ace hadn’t expected him to say. 

“Ace...?”

Ace stares for a moment. “Who are you?”

“Ace, you’re-” The guy tries to sit up but doesn’t look like he can quite manage it. “You’re alive…!”

“Who are you?” 

The guy looks up at him fully for the first time. He’s blonde, with very bright blue eyes, and hurt flashes across his face as though he’d expected Ace to know him. For some reason, Ace hates seeing that expression on his face. “You don’t… you don’t remember?”

“Should I?”

“I… No. No. It’s fine.” The blonde looks away, still with that hurt expression, struggling to his feet. He’s very lean, and clutching what must be some kind of stomach injury, but he waves Ace off when he tries to help him. “I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me-”

“At least let me help you-”

“No, really. I’ll be okay.” He shoots Ace a tiny smile that doesn’t reach his eyes. “Thank you for waking me. Sorry for wasting your time.”

He starts to limp off down the alleyway. Something about him clicks in Ace’s mind and he goes very still. Blue eyes. Blonde hair. That accent, that walk - everything about him adds up and Ace’s throat closes up. For a moment, he can’t speak, watching the blonde’s back as he gets further away. Just as he’s about to leave the alleyway, Ace calls after him. 

“Sabo?”

Sabo freezes. For a second, Ace thinks he’s going to bolt. Then he turns, eyes wide, looking at Ace with something very raw in his expression and Ace finds it hard to breathe. It’s Sabo. It’s actually Sabo. Sabo’s here. Sabo’s  _ back.  _ Sabo-

Looks like he’s about to fall over. 

Ace runs, stumbling through the puddles, slipping and sliding over the wet, muddy ground. Sabo’s still staring at him, slack-jawed. He’s shivering as Ace hits him, hard, pulling him into his arms as though he’s never going to let go. With shaky arms Sabo grips back, as though without Ace there, he would fall to the ground. 

“I tried to find you,” Sabo says, voice trembling, as though he needs to get the words out. “I tried. I ran away from my parents and I looked and looked and I could never find you two. I didn’t give up. I swear.”

“You’re here. You’re here. Holy shit, you’re actually here-”

“I’m so sorry-”

“We tried to look for you too.” Ace pulls away, hands cupping the back of Sabo’s neck, pressing their foreheads together. Both of them are crying now. “We tried. I promise you. I would never forget you, I wouldn’t-”

Sabo draws in a deep, shuddering breath, choking back a sob. “I missed you. I missed you so, so much.”

“Whatever’s happened, whatever you went through, whatever  _ we’ve _ been through… I don’t care. We’re together,” Ace says, smiling a watery smile. “It’s going to stay that way. I swear.”

They carry on holding one another in the middle of the alleyway, neither of them strong enough to even consider pulling away yet, and eventually the rain comes back. This time, however, both of them are warm. 


End file.
